Can't Get Guitar to sound right when recording

[RFR]

This must be frustrating for you.

So here’s the basic question.

In the room, does the amp sound good to you???

Yes or no?

 

[Simplex09]

This must be frustrating for you.

So here’s the basic question.

In the room, does the amp sound good to you???

Yes or no?

The clean sounds ok but I can see what people are saying about the ds1 recorded or in the room

 

[RFR]

The clean sounds ok but I can see what people are saying about the ds1 recorded or in the room

Ok. So answer this then.

Does the recorded clean sound the way the amp actually sounds in the room??

Can you take a pic of the DS1 settings?

 

[Simplex09]

I'm looking to replace the tube would this tube work?

https://www.amazon.ca/Groove-Tubes-...b7c1deb3983e3033ad4b0b6e88a32429&gad_source=1

 

[Old Music Guy]

If so, don't rule out the possibility that they, or the cables, are wired resulting in reverse polarity.

Phase is important! Assuming that you are using 2 channels, flip the phase on one channel.
A Jag and a twin should have balls! BIG BALLS
I don't know why you would be using 2 57s anyway. If you want 2 separate channels, use a mic and a line out. But you still need to check the phase.

"If the distances of the two microphones from their respective drivers are around the same then, no, you won't have phase issues."

@Steenamaroo, not sure if I agree with that. IF one of the cables (assuming a balanced mic) going into the mic is wired wrong, the phase reversal is right there at the source.
I think, and I could certainly be wrong, that the same can be said of an unbalanced mic.
Just think of the direction of travel of the diaphragm with respect to the input (air movement).
I had a helluva time micing my snare drum top and bottom. The batter head received an "upward" movement of air on the hit (reflection), whereas the resonant head (bottom) responded to a "downward" movement of air. Although the time was miniscule, it was enough to make it sound like a tin drum.

 

[Old Music Guy]

If you want to get rid of those 6L6s, gimme a shout!

This is starting to sound like another sham post...

 

[RFR]

This is starting to sound like another sham post...

I’m out. This is just a disaster of a thread. It’s like going down nto an ant hill. More twists and turns than a rabbit hole.

No advice we give helps. And now we’re onto ‘maybe it’s the tubes’

Good grief.

Peace out.

 

[Simplex09]

I’m out. This is just a disaster of a thread. It’s like going down nto an ant hill. More twists and turns than a rabbit hole.

No advice we give helps. And now we’re onto ‘maybe it’s the tubes’

Good grief.

Peace out.

Well thanks for your help! I don't know much about the audio recording side of things so I appreciate all your help!

I wasn't sure myself the tubes are just a suggestion. The tubes was just throwing a idea out there.

 

[RFR]

Well thanks for your help! I don't know much about the audio recording side of things so I appreciate all your help!

I wasn't sure myself the tubes are just a suggestion. The tubes was just throwing an idea out there.

Oh geeez, now you’re make no me feel bad.
Here’s some last advice.

1) practice
2) study. Watch as many videos as you can find on recording basics
3) learn your gear
4) don’t get complicated till you get the basics down.

People here are very generous with their time and sharing wisdom, but in the end there’s things you need to learn for yourself.

No one has the magic formula to fix it for you.

Ok, peace out.

 

[Steenamaroo]

Phase is important! Assuming that you are using 2 channels, flip the phase on one channel.
A Jag and a twin should have balls! BIG BALLS
I don't know why you would be using 2 57s anyway. If you want 2 separate channels, use a mic and a line out. But you still need to check the phase.

@Steenamaroo, not sure if I agree with that. IF one of the cables (assuming a balanced mic) going into the mic is wired wrong, the phase reversal is right there at the source.
I think, and I could certainly be wrong, that the same can be said of an unbalanced mic.
Just think of the direction of travel of the diaphragm with respect to the input (air movement).
I had a helluva time micing my snare drum top and bottom. The batter head received an "upward" movement of air on the hit (reflection), whereas the resonant head (bottom) responded to a "downward" movement of air. Although the time was miniscule, it was enough to make it sound like a tin drum.

You're not wrong. You're just talking about polarity.
Phase is a very different thing, even if manufacturers don't know that. ?

 

[rob aylestone]

People are getting sooo frustrated. You won't take advice, and come up with crazy stuff. If you cannot get ANY amp to sound good then tube swaps are totally pointless.

ONE mic
Sensible EQ
Controlled processing
You are skipping all this - the old don't run before you can walk.

Don't get terse with people genuinely trying to help. You didn't even answer the very critical question many people asked. Does it sound 'right' in the room? Your answers were 'sort of' - no detail.

If you cannot get the ballsy sound you want, you cannot record it. Get a great sound in the room and play in a way that make the sound work for you not against. THEN start with one mic only and experiment to make the recording sound BETTER than reality.

 

[ecc83]

Simplex09, I have been involved in audio electronics for well over 60 years (no! no transistors then) and spent my last few years with a guitar amp company. Mainly in the "lab" running tests.
Now, despite all the claims you read about and see on clickbait YTs, valves ("tubes" are what you get in bog rolls) make only a marginal difference to the sound of an amplifier. It IS a little bit brand and design specific but nothing like the "night and day" revelations you get told.

The "in the room" Over Drive tone of a guitar amp is largely formed in the valve pre amp section. The output stage makes very little difference until (by definition) you are blowing the absolute bollox off it. Most people can't do that with a 5 watts valve amp leave alone 50 watts!

Speakers make the next big difference but even that is totally subjective. There are no really 'bad' guitar speakers (Hmm? Rocket 50?) just WOT I Loike. Some makes are however more reliable than others.

I know this because I have built circuits that can instantly compare ECC83s say in an amp circuit. Nowhere on The Tube will you see such "scientific" tests AFAIK? We also A/B'ed different makes of output transformer...FA sound diff.

Yes, you will read and see claim and counter claim in the magazines and online and in forums but this is an INDUSTRY! They all have to SELL shit!

Dave.

 

[Simplex09]

People are getting sooo frustrated. You won't take advice, and come up with crazy stuff. If you cannot get ANY amp to sound good then tube swaps are totally pointless.

ONE mic
Sensible EQ
Controlled processing
You are skipping all this - the old don't run before you can walk.

Don't get terse with people genuinely trying to help. You didn't even answer the very critical question many people asked. Does it sound 'right' in the room? Your answers were 'sort of' - no detail.

If you cannot get the ballsy sound you want, you cannot record it. Get a great sound in the room and play in a way that make the sound work for you not against. THEN start with one mic only and experiment to make the recording sound BETTER than reality.

My apologies! So I tried that I think the last recording I uploaded. For Sometimes im on the road and unable to type longer messages going into a bit more detail per whst im trying. I didn't mean my last message to come off that way Honestly. My deepest apologies. So just checking the strat single coil mp3 1 mic, sm57 strat bridge, and eq between-6 and -12 so green on Scarlett solo

Honestly its hard for me to judge if the amp sounds good because I have only played 1 twin reverb in my life and a few solid states. But i personally noticed the amp seems to be really highend I don't know if that's a thing with twins or not. Like sometimes i strum some chords very soft/gently and its really highend and hard on my ears. Thats with the eq anything above 5 i would say. But I personally don't know what sounds right so that's what I mean about sort of. Sorry

 

[DM60]

But I personally don't know what sounds right so that's what I mean about sort of. Sorry

I think there is the problem. You don't know what sound you want. Sounding good is really subjective. Is there a sound you are looking for, if there is, then you should tell us that sound and then people can assist to helping you get that sound. Otherwise, you dial in the tone you want (and even a tone alone is not the same thing as tone in the mix) and play your ass off. I think you are looking for a ghost and ghosts are hard to see by everyone.

Get a tone, dial it in, make your song and find the sound for that song. Eventually you will find the sound or not, and that is what it will be.

Otherwise, let people know what sound you are going for and then there is a place to start. But there are so many factors in "a sound", how you play, where you hit on the pickup, the amp, the room. There is the art of it all coupled with the science.

 

[rob aylestone]

Just a thought, but have you tried plugging the guitar directly into the scarlett. This would give you a base line of what the guitar sounds like with NO EQ at all. Then plug thye stomp box into the same scarlett input and again, you'll hear the treated guitar - without any weird EQ coming from the amp. The distortion, overdrive and effects should sounds pretty good. Then you can try to recreate that, but better, using the amp. What are you listening on - if you have headphones or speakers that are messing with the sound, this might explain why what we hear is different to what you hear? It's hard to have a bad DI tone, because any EQ has to be added in your DAW.

 

[Simplex09]

Oh geeez, now you’re make no me feel bad.
Here’s some last advice.

1) practice
2) study. Watch as many videos as you can find on recording basics
3) learn your gear
4) don’t get complicated till you get the basics down.

People here are very generous with their time and sharing wisdom, but in the end there’s things you need to learn for yourself.

No one has the magic formula to fix it for you.

Ok, peace out.

I just wanted to apologize to you for my last message I didn't mean for it to come across the wrong way. Sometimes in text the tone of voice doesn't transfer over so its sometimes taken differently then what the person whose typing it means. So I'm sorry for the last post.

Just a thought, but have you tried plugging the guitar directly into the scarlett. This would give you a base line of what the guitar sounds like with NO EQ at all. Then plug thye stomp box into the same scarlett input and again, you'll hear the treated guitar - without any weird EQ coming from the amp. The distortion, overdrive and effects should sounds pretty good. Then you can try to recreate that, but better, using the amp. What are you listening on - if you have headphones or speakers that are messing with the sound, this might explain why what we hear is different to what you hear? It's hard to have a bad DI tone, because any EQ has to be added in your DAW.

Would you be able to add the eq in by hand then in a daw? Like just adjust the highs or lows. Of course I know it won't sound as good as through a amp/speaker but just as a test. But I guess that case you could just add a amp sim to the raw guitar audio.


If there is a tone im looking for is this one thats where i got the ds1/amp settings from

 

[rob aylestone]

Well - I'm a bass player, but dabble in guitars - and it is VERY rare for me to mic a cab up - and I have two combos, and other separate amps and cabs. The 'real' guitarists want the things a proper amp provide, but, I'm happy with the processor direct out.

 

[LazerBeakShiek]

Ok. So answer the is

my plan
sample it from cd
play sample on GR99 as secondary preamp
.....dont gimmie no, you cant go pre to pre.
sure you can

 

[Scott Baxendale]

Hi I'm trying to record guitar using two SM57's and it doesn't ever sound good and I have tried everything. Unless I use a amp sim like softube vintage amp room.

SM57s position
About 1 foot away from the speaker.
1) At the end of the dust cap
2) Edge of the Celestion 75 speaker.
Tried with amp grill off and grill on.

Equipment
Fender Jaguar
Fender Twin Reverb Or 1990s Fender ultimate chorus
Celestion 75
Focusrite Scarlett Solo (3rd Gen)

Here is just a attached audio file I did of "On a Plain" by Nirvana just as a test audio file.

Thanks for your help!

I’d switch to one mic and see if it’s a phase issue. All I am hearing is high end trash. Back off the treble some too.

 

[Old Music Guy]

People here are very generous with their time and sharing wisdom, but in the end there’s things you need to learn for yourself.

@Simplex09. Heed @RFR . Members here have joined for basically two reasons: To get help when we need it, and lend advice when asked. @rob aylestone is right in his post about "people being frustrated". If you boil all the replies to your question, the best advice comes from @rob aylestone "the old don't run before they can walk".
Start with a guitar and an amp. Play with the EQ and volume knobs on the amp until you get a sound out of the amp you like.
Then, plug in your stomp and dial that in, without mucking about with the amp settings, until you get a sound that you like.
Then, put ONE mic in front of ONE speaker in the cabinet, with the mic positioned up against the grill cloth, in the middle (cone) of the speaker.
THEN, record that.
This splits your problem in half (which is what any good engineer or tech would do). If the amp sounds good to you, but the recording doesn't, then you know the issue is on the recording end.
If it's on the recording end, then repeat the steps above: one step at a time,
If you keep dividing the problem by elements, the skies will clear, the curtains will part and you will achieve the knowledge you seek. (That was the best advice I was ever taught in school).
Work with us, and we will gladly work with you.